Today was one of those days where I realized what is important in life, and what is not. Today made me appreciate the simple things.
It all started for me at 10:30am. I am sitting on the couch with K and L enjoying some cuddle time and an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. My phone rings. It is J. He never calls me during his workday — I immediately feel like something is “off”.
“Hello Babe”, I said in a cheerful voice.
After a moment of silence he starts with, “I have very bad news… I am so sorry.” I hear his voice crack.
My heart stops. I catch my breath again and ask what is going on.
“I’m at Madigan right now. I’m so so sorry. I fell asleep at the wheel this morning on the way in to work and rolled your Bug. The car is ruined.”
Silence. I process the information. My 1970 Convertible VW Bug, my first car, my “baby”, has been rolled, totaled for sure — destroyed. This was a bad accident. But J is talking to me on the phone, which means he is okay. He MUST be okay. He drove in at 8:15am, and it is now almost 2 hours later. He would not be calling me if he were anything but okay… he almost sounds TOO okay. Is this a joke?
A series of questions finally escapes my mouth and brain. “Are you kidding me? Are you serious? Are you okay? WHAT happened?”
He tells me to pack the kids up and come to the hospital and he will explain the rest later.
At this point, my heart is racing. I hang up the phone, go upstairs to cry out the initial shock of what has happened, and send a quick text to a few family members.
Upon arriving at Madigan, I breathe a deep sigh of relief. He walks straight up to the car and gives me a kiss, apologizes again, and gets in the passengers seat. Aside from a few scrapes and bruises on his head, he has miraculously walked away from the accident unscathed. His First Sergeant comes up to my car window and tells me how lucky I am to have him alive. He says that J rolled twice and hit a tree before the car finally stopped. The battery for the car (which sits underneath the back seat bench) flew during the first rollover and hit him in the back of the head, but the CT scan they did at the hospital showed NO damage or trauma to his skull or brain. He shows no signs of a concussion.
J pulls K out of her car seat once we get home. I have never seen him hold her so close. We both cry, as it hit us what he just escaped. I thank God he had his seat belt on, and that he had chosen to leave the top up on the car that morning. It literally kept his head from being dragged against the ground. It made all the difference in him surviving this. Eyewitnesses are in complete shock that he came out of it alive and without major injuries.
We went to the towing lot later for me to say goodbye to the Bug and take some final pictures of it before surrendering ownership. Seeing it all crumpled from the crash for the first time gave me chills. The tow truck guy looks at J in disbelief that he is standing there next to me. He says to J, “You shouldn’t be alive if you were in that car.”
“I know”, J responds.
He keeps apologizing for wrecking my car, but I honestly cannot even force myself to be mad about it being totaled. Yes, it was a special car to me, but it was still just a car and I would rather have the car gone and my husband’s life spared than the other way around. He means way more to me than the Bug ever did.
So, today I am grateful. Grateful to God for my husband’s life; grateful I am not a widow; grateful that my children have their daddy to hug and kiss and hold them; simply, completely, grateful . I have a new perspective on the important things, and I plan to not forget this lesson anytime soon.
Thank you to all who prayed for us and sent your love to us today. We are so thankful for your love and support, and for this second chance at life together.
